# wherefore

> English word · Adverb · IPA /ˈwɛə(ɹ)ˌfɔː(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #37,767

## Definitions
1. Why, for what reason, because of what.
2. Therefore; thus.

## Etymology
From Middle English wherfor, wherfore, hwarfore, equivalent to where- (“what”) + for. Compare Dutch waarvoor (“what for, wherefore”), German wofür (“for what, what for, why”), Danish and Norwegian hvorfor (“wherefore, why”), Swedish varför (“wherefore, why”). More at where, for.

## Common misspellings (13)
`hwerefore`, `wehrefore`, `wheerfore`, `whereffore`, `wherefoer`, `whereforre`, `wherefroe`, `whereofre`, `wherfeore`, `wherrefore`, `whherefore`, `whreefore`, `wwherefore`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/wherefore